The Fall of William
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns Btvs
A/N: Hi all. Thanks again for all of the nice reviews. I've grinned so much these past few days my face is sore. lol Anyway thanks again and here's chapter 7 I hope you enjoy this.
~*~
Ch:7
Willow turned quickly to look at Anya who was staring somewhat appreciatively at Spike.
"Where's the gun?" Willow whispered frantically.
"Uh......." Anya stuttered as she slid her gaze from Spike to Willow.
Willow's stomach dropped and she had to breathe deeply to remain standing as fear gripped her and wouldn't let go.
"Where. Is. It?" she gritted out.
"Upstairs," Anya mumbled as she ducked her head and closed her eyes.
Willow's face flushed red as anger flooded through her.
"You left it upstairs?" she hissed out as she took Anya's arm in a vice like grip.
"Yes. I'm sorry," Anya burst out. "But I found....I found some more money upstairs and I didn't have room for-"
"Didn't have room for the gun that was our safety net Anya? Oh....no here he comes," Willow moaned.
Spike grew concerned as he watched the women huddle together and have an intense discussion.
Sliding off the hood of the car, he strode toward them and with a small frown; he edged his way closer to them.
When they whirled around, he smiled widely.
"Hi," he said cheerfully.
Willow swallowed and Anya gasped as Spike approached them.
"H....hi," Willow gasped out. "Um...listen we-we uh," she paused breathing erratically and with a quick look at Anya spoke again. "We have money!"
Anya's face paled and she let out a half scream.
"Noooooo," she moaned.
Spike looked back and forth between them.
Willow was glaring at Anya.
"Give him the bag Anya. There's got to be a good twenty thousand in it right?" she asked.
Anya remained stubbornly silent as she gripped her bag and tried to discretely edge away from them.
Willow turned to face Spike, back straight and her resolve face firmly in place.
"Listen. We have more too. Just here," Willow reached out for the bag.
Anya resisted and soon a tug a war was going on.
"Give it to me," Willow screamed.
"Not my money," Anya yelled. "No! Anything but that."
Spike's face was a contrast of emotions as he watched the women fight over a bag full of money.
He couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
"I'll have sex with you," Anya's wild statement got his attention however as she suddenly turned to face him and smiled widely at him.
He choked on his laughter and realized things were getting a bit out of hand. Before he could speak, though Willow was speaking.
"God Anya! He belongs to Buffy. She'd kill us both. Me for letting you and you for actually doing it! No one is having sex with anybody. But someone is going to take his money and go away before a certain somebody comes along and kills somebody," Willow rambled.
Spike's amusement was lost as Willow brought up Buffy.
Sighing he lifted his gun once again.
"That's it," he snapped. "And as for those some bodies you've been mentioning well let them come. No one's getting' killed. At least not at the moment. C'mon."
The women remained standing still as Spike turned.
"Uh....listen you know if you kill us Buffy's gonna be beyond pissed," Anya spoke up quickly. "And really you don't want to be on her bad side."
Spike swung back around and let out a sigh as he marched over to them.
Anya let out a yelp of pain and surprise as he ripped the bag from her and hoisted it over his shoulder.
"You see this?" he asked as he brandished the gun about.
"Y...yes," Willow said.
"You too right?" he asked jerking his chin at Anya.
Anya couldn't even speak as he rested the gun against the bag.
"One bullet and this goes bye bye. Now if you don't want that to happen then move your asses!"
Anya jumped a little but moved as quickly as Willow had ever seen her move. She was by Spike's side in a flash.
"Please don't burn my money. I worked hard for it," Anya whispered desperately.
Willow gave a huge sigh. Reached down into her coat pocket and quickly pressed the talk button on her cell phone and the 911 message was sent out to Buffy and the guys.
"So where are we off to?" Willow asked carefully as she followed Spike and Anya back to their car.
"It's a surprise," was all Spike said as he waited for the women to get back into the car and followed suit.
~*~
Xander and Oz were driving through the streets of Los Angeles when their pagers simultaneously went off.
Oz kept his eyes on the road as Xander checked out his page.
"Damn," he muttered to himself as he read it.
"What?" Oz asked curiously.
"It's Willow. She activated the tracing device on her cell and sent out a 911 code. We shouldn't have left them!"
Oz remained silent as he drove.
Xander reached out and pressing a few buttons on the console, he activated the GPS system and dialed up Willow's position on the map of California.
"Where are they headed?" Oz asked.
"I don't know. We have gotta double back though. They're headed in the opposite direction," Xander ordered.
"You know maybe Anya just had an image of her money being gone. This has happened before you know," Oz pointed out.
Xander nodded quickly.
"You're right. It has. So maybe this is a false alarm. If it is I'm gonna kill Anya!"
Oz smiled slightly.
"Not if Buffy gets to her first. She hates false alarms and you know how pissed she'll be once she finds out."
Xander grinned.
"Yeah. She's gonna be okay right?" Xander asked tightly.
Oz glanced at Xander and the fleeting emotion of fear flickered briefly before his green eyes cleared and he nodded.
"She's Buffy. She always comes out on her feet," he replied confidently.
~*~
It was odd. A moment split in time, it was like watching the moment in slow motion, and you were stuck in quicksand. Couldn't move and could barely breathe, Dru mused as she watched the scene unfold.
Buffy tossed the knife.
Angel fired his gun.
And Dru was moving.
In the split second before the bullet entered Buffy's chest Dru shoved her out of the way screaming.
"Tell him I'm sorry," she begged as the bullet ripped through her stomach.
Angel's grunt of pain was muffled by the loud sound of the gun shot as he twisted his body the knife was embedded in his shoulder.
Buffy barely had time to register what was going on before she was reacting automatically. Years of training kicking in.
Barely spearing a glance at Angel or even Dru she was running.
Straight for the window.
Angel was yelling. She could hear his roar of words but couldn't for the life of her decipher them as she ripped off her jacket and covering her head lunged at the window.
Angel watched in a pain-filled haze as Buffy ran for the window.
His eyes were drawn to Dru's prone body on the ground.
Then back to Buffy as the sound of shattering glass erupted and Buffy was gone.
Stunned he moved. Slowly. Sluggishly as if, he was in a daze to the window and looked out.
Barely registered the pain of the glass biting into his palms as he watched in detached wonder as Buffy fell through the air.
It was a good fifteen feet drop to the ocean a below.
She never screamed.
Never let out a single sound as she flew through the air and hit the water with a huge splash.
Angel shook his head and blinked once before he turned back to the room.
He stumbled slightly as he crouched down next to Dru.
A part of him, a small part that still held fondness for her wept at the picture she made.
Cupping her face, he leaned down as he tried catching her whispered words.
"They'll destroy you," she whispered as blood dripped from the corners of her mouth.
Her chest heaved in her final breaths and Angel's face morphed in rage.
"She's dead," he spat. "You did this for nothing! And as for Spike....I'm taking him down."
He turned away in disgust as Dru let out a choking laugh and as it trailed away passed to another world.
He never looked back as he left the room.
"One down. One to go," he muttered to himself.
~*~
It was at times, like now she really hated her life.
Hated that she knew such evil people and hell hated the fact she knew how to even do this properly.
She'd done this very thing twice in all her life and she could tell you it was not a fun thing. Falling through the air, your life flashing before your eyes.
In those few moments between hitting the water Buffy wasn't sure how or even why she pictured the one thing she wanted most in the world. That she would be okay with her death if she could have just this one thing.
She had done many things to a number of different people and they had all deserved whatever they got. And in a way so had Spike.
He was a criminal and though he liked to think of himself as a businessman who was beyond the law, he was what he was.
Yet the only thing she wanted now, the only thing she needed would have to come from him.
And she was certain he would never give it.
His forgiveness.
And as Buffy drew in a deep breath and felt the first chilling bites of the water she thought, if he couldn't forgive neither could she.
She sank like a stone.
~*~
Willow and Anya were surprised and relieved when they wound up back at the safe house.
Spike stopped the car and got out gesturing for Willow and Anya to do the same.
"Why are we here?" Willow asked confusedly.
"C'mon," Spike ordered walking directly towards the door.
"This is good," Anya exclaimed quietly to Willow as they hurried to keep up with Spike.
"No it's not," Willow, countered dryly as they reached the door. "Cuz if we're back here then it means-"
"Boys I'd like you to meet the girls," Spike announced as he strode in and smiled at his men who were armed to the teeth and staring at Willow and Anya as they hesitated in the doorway.
Anya's hand reached out to grasp Willow's tightly as they both drew in deep breaths and stepped in.
Spike tossed his jacket aside and rolled his shoulders as he scanned the room quickly.
"If you try anything. And I mean anything they'll kill you so be good," Spike warned as he grabbed Willow's arm.
"Wait," Anya yelled. "Wh-what are you going to do with my money?" she asked.
"Anya," Willow sighed.
Spike scowled.
"What's with you and your money pet? It's comin' with me. Incentive to keep your gob shut and sit down!"
"I wanna go too. Where are you taking Willow? This testosterone isn't good for me. I love Xander and I can't think about having sex with these men!"
Spike shook his head beyond bewildered.
"Sex? Who said anything about sex you silly bint," he growled as he jerked Willow along.
"Just let her come," Willow said resignedly.
"Hurry up then," Spike gritted out.
Anya moved quickly to follow them.
"Watch the door," Spike ordered his men.
Spike shoved Willow into a seat in the master bedroom.
Willow looked up warily at Spike and waited for instructions. She wasn't too scared since he hadn't harmed either of them in the time it had taken to get back here. It was in her opinion a good thing. It was always a good thing if you stayed alive in the presence of a killer.
She couldn't help the wide smile that formed.
Anya stared at her as if she were crazy.
"What?" Willow asked giggling a little.
"What are you smiling about?!" Anya demanded. "He has my money! He could burn it and I-"
"Here," Spike said thrusting a laptop onto Willow's lap.
Startled she let out a squeak of surprise.
"What is this?" she asked as she rose and moved towards the desk off to the side of the room.
Spike looked at Anya who was glaring at him and then away.
The chit was seriously starting to wig him out.
He then shook his head at the sound of his thoughts. Buffy speak was not foretelling of good things to come, he thought bitterly. He wasn't going to think about her now. He had more urgent business to attend to.
"It's a computer luv. You being a hacker I thought of you first naturally," he replied with a quick smile.
Willow felt her geekiness jump upright in anticipation at Spike's words.
"Really?" she asked excitedly. "Why?"
Spike frowned.
"You are the best," he pointed out. Watched as she blushed and ducked her head.
"Not really...there's this other girl Tara something. She's great," Willow stammered out.
Modest chit, Spike mused. What the hell kind of people was Buffy hangin' about these days? He wondered.
Of all her little band of misfits, he'd only ever met the men. And the brown haired bloke was a pain in his arse. Stupid prick, he thought angrily as he thought of Xander Harris.
"Hello?" Anya asked waving a hand in front of Spike's face.
Abruptly he reached out, caught her hand, and wolfishly grinned at her.
"Watch the hands pet," he warned.
Anya nodded numbly.
"I need you to crack this code for me," Spike said then dropping Anya's hand and grabbing a piece of paper from his pocket, he handed it to her.
"What kind of code?" Willow asked eagerly.
Spike blew out a breath.
"No clue," he muttered his thoughts drifting to Riley a moment before his chest tightened abruptly and he pressed a hand to his heart.
"Where's Buffy at?" he demanded then.
Before either woman could answer, they heard a commotion coming from downstairs and moving quickly Spike ushered them downstairs.
Willow's shoulders drooped a little as she saw whom Spike's men had at gunpoint.
"Hey guys," she said giving them a small wave.
Xander and Oz glared at the men who held them.
"Xander," Anya exclaimed heedless to the men and threw herself into his arms. He stumbled back, eventually falling to the ground Anya splayed on top of him.
"Ahn," Xander's voice was muffled as she rained kisses over his face then began to sniff as tears formed in her eyes.
"He has my money," she sobbed.
"What?" Xander yelled. "You bastard. Her money means everything to her!"
Spike smirked as he watched Xander and Anya through narrowed eyes.
"Well, well if it isn't the whelp and look it," he drawled mockingly. "He's got 'im a woman. Does that mean you've finally given up on Buffy?" he asked.
"What is going on here?" Oz asked then trying to change the subject quickly. He knew any more of this, and blood would be shed, and he knew all of it would belong to Xander.
Spike wasn't a man to be messed with. And certainly not about Buffy.
"Willow here is doin' me a favor," Spike said as he kept his gaze locked on Xander's.
"Xander's not in love with Buffy," Anya protested loudly glancing down at Xander for confirmation.
Xander rose shakily to his feet as he pulled Anya up he answered without thinking.
"Not any more," he agreed.
Oz rolled his eyes and gave up going to Willow as Spike gestured for his men to back off. He pulled her in closely and hugged her tight.
"What?!" Anya's yell caused several of Spike's men to cover their ears.
"I mean not at all," Xander tried to back track.
"What you mean your lady doesn't know about that night? When you couldn't keep your hands off Buffy?" Spike spat out.
"Shut up," Xander yelled as he tried to reach out to Anya.
"Are you in love with her Xander?" Anya asked quietly.
"No," he denied vehemently.
"That's not what you were sayin' last year," Spike continued. "I mean I know you're stupid but when you come on to your boss that's gotta be an all time low! Hell when you get so drunk and start waving' a gun around like you're gonna use it that's stupid too. In fact if it weren't for you Buffy wouldn't have-"
"Shut up," Xander screamed advancing on Spike angrily. "You shot her not me! You so don't put this all on me," he growled angrily.
Spike narrowed his eyes and met Xander half way.
"Listen boy, you'd better stay out of my way. I'll take you down. Kill you like I should have last year!"
"What's he talking about Xan?" Willow asked. "You said...you said Spike had the gun and he was drunk. That he shot her! Is...is that true?" she demanded.
Xander looked lost and scared as he met Willow's eyes.
"Wills," he began hesitantly.
"Why's my pager still going off?" Oz asked curiously, as he lifted his pager from his hip and glanced at it.
The silence in the room was harsh and bordering on deadly.
"What is it?" Willow choked out glancing at Oz when his face tightened and his breath hitched in.
"Buffy," Oz muttered darkly. "Her....her cell's emitting a code 4."
"Oh," Anya gasped out. "That's not good!"
"What?" Spike demanded hating to be left out. "What about Buffy?!"
Oz ignored him as he whipped out his cell phone.
"What's a code four," Spike growled as he looked at Anya.
Anya shook her head and pressed a hand to her flushed face.
"It means all communication links have uh....gone off line. That only happens if something's wrong," she explained quietly.
Unintentionally Spike's hand went to his chest and he ignored his brain as it screamed for him to leave it alone.
"Well what are we standin' around for then?! Where is she?" he yelled.
"Calm down," Willow advised.
"No," Spike shook his head stubbornly.
"She's...uh hell she went up to Orange County," Oz muttered.
Spike's eyes narrowed to slits.
"Why?" Willow asked.
"She went to see Dru," Spike growled as he headed for the door.
"We're coming with you," Willow announced striding after him.
"Boss...?" One of his men asked carefully as Spike swung open the door.
Spike's mouth dropped open and shock etched its self on his face.
No words came out as he stared at the large black man standing on the stoop.
Not staring at the man but what the man carried in his large arms.
"Buffy," he whispered. Despite himself, he found himself lifting his hand. Wanting to touch her still form.
"Get out of the way," Charles Gunn ordered as he shoved Spike aside and strode into the room.
"Gunn," Willow exclaimed as she rushed to him.
The Scoobies soon surrounded him.
"What happened?" Oz's voice over rode all of the others.
"We can talk about that later," Gunn muttered as he marched up the stairs.
Spike's men looked from the staircase back to him and followed the group that had gone upstairs to stand watch.
Leaving Spike standing alone. In shock, in pain and floating in a sea of sadness and bitter anger towards whoever had done this to Buffy.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns Btvs
A/N: Hi all. Thanks again for all of the nice reviews. I've grinned so much these past few days my face is sore. lol Anyway thanks again and here's chapter 7 I hope you enjoy this.
~*~
Ch:7
Willow turned quickly to look at Anya who was staring somewhat appreciatively at Spike.
"Where's the gun?" Willow whispered frantically.
"Uh......." Anya stuttered as she slid her gaze from Spike to Willow.
Willow's stomach dropped and she had to breathe deeply to remain standing as fear gripped her and wouldn't let go.
"Where. Is. It?" she gritted out.
"Upstairs," Anya mumbled as she ducked her head and closed her eyes.
Willow's face flushed red as anger flooded through her.
"You left it upstairs?" she hissed out as she took Anya's arm in a vice like grip.
"Yes. I'm sorry," Anya burst out. "But I found....I found some more money upstairs and I didn't have room for-"
"Didn't have room for the gun that was our safety net Anya? Oh....no here he comes," Willow moaned.
Spike grew concerned as he watched the women huddle together and have an intense discussion.
Sliding off the hood of the car, he strode toward them and with a small frown; he edged his way closer to them.
When they whirled around, he smiled widely.
"Hi," he said cheerfully.
Willow swallowed and Anya gasped as Spike approached them.
"H....hi," Willow gasped out. "Um...listen we-we uh," she paused breathing erratically and with a quick look at Anya spoke again. "We have money!"
Anya's face paled and she let out a half scream.
"Noooooo," she moaned.
Spike looked back and forth between them.
Willow was glaring at Anya.
"Give him the bag Anya. There's got to be a good twenty thousand in it right?" she asked.
Anya remained stubbornly silent as she gripped her bag and tried to discretely edge away from them.
Willow turned to face Spike, back straight and her resolve face firmly in place.
"Listen. We have more too. Just here," Willow reached out for the bag.
Anya resisted and soon a tug a war was going on.
"Give it to me," Willow screamed.
"Not my money," Anya yelled. "No! Anything but that."
Spike's face was a contrast of emotions as he watched the women fight over a bag full of money.
He couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
"I'll have sex with you," Anya's wild statement got his attention however as she suddenly turned to face him and smiled widely at him.
He choked on his laughter and realized things were getting a bit out of hand. Before he could speak, though Willow was speaking.
"God Anya! He belongs to Buffy. She'd kill us both. Me for letting you and you for actually doing it! No one is having sex with anybody. But someone is going to take his money and go away before a certain somebody comes along and kills somebody," Willow rambled.
Spike's amusement was lost as Willow brought up Buffy.
Sighing he lifted his gun once again.
"That's it," he snapped. "And as for those some bodies you've been mentioning well let them come. No one's getting' killed. At least not at the moment. C'mon."
The women remained standing still as Spike turned.
"Uh....listen you know if you kill us Buffy's gonna be beyond pissed," Anya spoke up quickly. "And really you don't want to be on her bad side."
Spike swung back around and let out a sigh as he marched over to them.
Anya let out a yelp of pain and surprise as he ripped the bag from her and hoisted it over his shoulder.
"You see this?" he asked as he brandished the gun about.
"Y...yes," Willow said.
"You too right?" he asked jerking his chin at Anya.
Anya couldn't even speak as he rested the gun against the bag.
"One bullet and this goes bye bye. Now if you don't want that to happen then move your asses!"
Anya jumped a little but moved as quickly as Willow had ever seen her move. She was by Spike's side in a flash.
"Please don't burn my money. I worked hard for it," Anya whispered desperately.
Willow gave a huge sigh. Reached down into her coat pocket and quickly pressed the talk button on her cell phone and the 911 message was sent out to Buffy and the guys.
"So where are we off to?" Willow asked carefully as she followed Spike and Anya back to their car.
"It's a surprise," was all Spike said as he waited for the women to get back into the car and followed suit.
~*~
Xander and Oz were driving through the streets of Los Angeles when their pagers simultaneously went off.
Oz kept his eyes on the road as Xander checked out his page.
"Damn," he muttered to himself as he read it.
"What?" Oz asked curiously.
"It's Willow. She activated the tracing device on her cell and sent out a 911 code. We shouldn't have left them!"
Oz remained silent as he drove.
Xander reached out and pressing a few buttons on the console, he activated the GPS system and dialed up Willow's position on the map of California.
"Where are they headed?" Oz asked.
"I don't know. We have gotta double back though. They're headed in the opposite direction," Xander ordered.
"You know maybe Anya just had an image of her money being gone. This has happened before you know," Oz pointed out.
Xander nodded quickly.
"You're right. It has. So maybe this is a false alarm. If it is I'm gonna kill Anya!"
Oz smiled slightly.
"Not if Buffy gets to her first. She hates false alarms and you know how pissed she'll be once she finds out."
Xander grinned.
"Yeah. She's gonna be okay right?" Xander asked tightly.
Oz glanced at Xander and the fleeting emotion of fear flickered briefly before his green eyes cleared and he nodded.
"She's Buffy. She always comes out on her feet," he replied confidently.
~*~
It was odd. A moment split in time, it was like watching the moment in slow motion, and you were stuck in quicksand. Couldn't move and could barely breathe, Dru mused as she watched the scene unfold.
Buffy tossed the knife.
Angel fired his gun.
And Dru was moving.
In the split second before the bullet entered Buffy's chest Dru shoved her out of the way screaming.
"Tell him I'm sorry," she begged as the bullet ripped through her stomach.
Angel's grunt of pain was muffled by the loud sound of the gun shot as he twisted his body the knife was embedded in his shoulder.
Buffy barely had time to register what was going on before she was reacting automatically. Years of training kicking in.
Barely spearing a glance at Angel or even Dru she was running.
Straight for the window.
Angel was yelling. She could hear his roar of words but couldn't for the life of her decipher them as she ripped off her jacket and covering her head lunged at the window.
Angel watched in a pain-filled haze as Buffy ran for the window.
His eyes were drawn to Dru's prone body on the ground.
Then back to Buffy as the sound of shattering glass erupted and Buffy was gone.
Stunned he moved. Slowly. Sluggishly as if, he was in a daze to the window and looked out.
Barely registered the pain of the glass biting into his palms as he watched in detached wonder as Buffy fell through the air.
It was a good fifteen feet drop to the ocean a below.
She never screamed.
Never let out a single sound as she flew through the air and hit the water with a huge splash.
Angel shook his head and blinked once before he turned back to the room.
He stumbled slightly as he crouched down next to Dru.
A part of him, a small part that still held fondness for her wept at the picture she made.
Cupping her face, he leaned down as he tried catching her whispered words.
"They'll destroy you," she whispered as blood dripped from the corners of her mouth.
Her chest heaved in her final breaths and Angel's face morphed in rage.
"She's dead," he spat. "You did this for nothing! And as for Spike....I'm taking him down."
He turned away in disgust as Dru let out a choking laugh and as it trailed away passed to another world.
He never looked back as he left the room.
"One down. One to go," he muttered to himself.
~*~
It was at times, like now she really hated her life.
Hated that she knew such evil people and hell hated the fact she knew how to even do this properly.
She'd done this very thing twice in all her life and she could tell you it was not a fun thing. Falling through the air, your life flashing before your eyes.
In those few moments between hitting the water Buffy wasn't sure how or even why she pictured the one thing she wanted most in the world. That she would be okay with her death if she could have just this one thing.
She had done many things to a number of different people and they had all deserved whatever they got. And in a way so had Spike.
He was a criminal and though he liked to think of himself as a businessman who was beyond the law, he was what he was.
Yet the only thing she wanted now, the only thing she needed would have to come from him.
And she was certain he would never give it.
His forgiveness.
And as Buffy drew in a deep breath and felt the first chilling bites of the water she thought, if he couldn't forgive neither could she.
She sank like a stone.
~*~
Willow and Anya were surprised and relieved when they wound up back at the safe house.
Spike stopped the car and got out gesturing for Willow and Anya to do the same.
"Why are we here?" Willow asked confusedly.
"C'mon," Spike ordered walking directly towards the door.
"This is good," Anya exclaimed quietly to Willow as they hurried to keep up with Spike.
"No it's not," Willow, countered dryly as they reached the door. "Cuz if we're back here then it means-"
"Boys I'd like you to meet the girls," Spike announced as he strode in and smiled at his men who were armed to the teeth and staring at Willow and Anya as they hesitated in the doorway.
Anya's hand reached out to grasp Willow's tightly as they both drew in deep breaths and stepped in.
Spike tossed his jacket aside and rolled his shoulders as he scanned the room quickly.
"If you try anything. And I mean anything they'll kill you so be good," Spike warned as he grabbed Willow's arm.
"Wait," Anya yelled. "Wh-what are you going to do with my money?" she asked.
"Anya," Willow sighed.
Spike scowled.
"What's with you and your money pet? It's comin' with me. Incentive to keep your gob shut and sit down!"
"I wanna go too. Where are you taking Willow? This testosterone isn't good for me. I love Xander and I can't think about having sex with these men!"
Spike shook his head beyond bewildered.
"Sex? Who said anything about sex you silly bint," he growled as he jerked Willow along.
"Just let her come," Willow said resignedly.
"Hurry up then," Spike gritted out.
Anya moved quickly to follow them.
"Watch the door," Spike ordered his men.
Spike shoved Willow into a seat in the master bedroom.
Willow looked up warily at Spike and waited for instructions. She wasn't too scared since he hadn't harmed either of them in the time it had taken to get back here. It was in her opinion a good thing. It was always a good thing if you stayed alive in the presence of a killer.
She couldn't help the wide smile that formed.
Anya stared at her as if she were crazy.
"What?" Willow asked giggling a little.
"What are you smiling about?!" Anya demanded. "He has my money! He could burn it and I-"
"Here," Spike said thrusting a laptop onto Willow's lap.
Startled she let out a squeak of surprise.
"What is this?" she asked as she rose and moved towards the desk off to the side of the room.
Spike looked at Anya who was glaring at him and then away.
The chit was seriously starting to wig him out.
He then shook his head at the sound of his thoughts. Buffy speak was not foretelling of good things to come, he thought bitterly. He wasn't going to think about her now. He had more urgent business to attend to.
"It's a computer luv. You being a hacker I thought of you first naturally," he replied with a quick smile.
Willow felt her geekiness jump upright in anticipation at Spike's words.
"Really?" she asked excitedly. "Why?"
Spike frowned.
"You are the best," he pointed out. Watched as she blushed and ducked her head.
"Not really...there's this other girl Tara something. She's great," Willow stammered out.
Modest chit, Spike mused. What the hell kind of people was Buffy hangin' about these days? He wondered.
Of all her little band of misfits, he'd only ever met the men. And the brown haired bloke was a pain in his arse. Stupid prick, he thought angrily as he thought of Xander Harris.
"Hello?" Anya asked waving a hand in front of Spike's face.
Abruptly he reached out, caught her hand, and wolfishly grinned at her.
"Watch the hands pet," he warned.
Anya nodded numbly.
"I need you to crack this code for me," Spike said then dropping Anya's hand and grabbing a piece of paper from his pocket, he handed it to her.
"What kind of code?" Willow asked eagerly.
Spike blew out a breath.
"No clue," he muttered his thoughts drifting to Riley a moment before his chest tightened abruptly and he pressed a hand to his heart.
"Where's Buffy at?" he demanded then.
Before either woman could answer, they heard a commotion coming from downstairs and moving quickly Spike ushered them downstairs.
Willow's shoulders drooped a little as she saw whom Spike's men had at gunpoint.
"Hey guys," she said giving them a small wave.
Xander and Oz glared at the men who held them.
"Xander," Anya exclaimed heedless to the men and threw herself into his arms. He stumbled back, eventually falling to the ground Anya splayed on top of him.
"Ahn," Xander's voice was muffled as she rained kisses over his face then began to sniff as tears formed in her eyes.
"He has my money," she sobbed.
"What?" Xander yelled. "You bastard. Her money means everything to her!"
Spike smirked as he watched Xander and Anya through narrowed eyes.
"Well, well if it isn't the whelp and look it," he drawled mockingly. "He's got 'im a woman. Does that mean you've finally given up on Buffy?" he asked.
"What is going on here?" Oz asked then trying to change the subject quickly. He knew any more of this, and blood would be shed, and he knew all of it would belong to Xander.
Spike wasn't a man to be messed with. And certainly not about Buffy.
"Willow here is doin' me a favor," Spike said as he kept his gaze locked on Xander's.
"Xander's not in love with Buffy," Anya protested loudly glancing down at Xander for confirmation.
Xander rose shakily to his feet as he pulled Anya up he answered without thinking.
"Not any more," he agreed.
Oz rolled his eyes and gave up going to Willow as Spike gestured for his men to back off. He pulled her in closely and hugged her tight.
"What?!" Anya's yell caused several of Spike's men to cover their ears.
"I mean not at all," Xander tried to back track.
"What you mean your lady doesn't know about that night? When you couldn't keep your hands off Buffy?" Spike spat out.
"Shut up," Xander yelled as he tried to reach out to Anya.
"Are you in love with her Xander?" Anya asked quietly.
"No," he denied vehemently.
"That's not what you were sayin' last year," Spike continued. "I mean I know you're stupid but when you come on to your boss that's gotta be an all time low! Hell when you get so drunk and start waving' a gun around like you're gonna use it that's stupid too. In fact if it weren't for you Buffy wouldn't have-"
"Shut up," Xander screamed advancing on Spike angrily. "You shot her not me! You so don't put this all on me," he growled angrily.
Spike narrowed his eyes and met Xander half way.
"Listen boy, you'd better stay out of my way. I'll take you down. Kill you like I should have last year!"
"What's he talking about Xan?" Willow asked. "You said...you said Spike had the gun and he was drunk. That he shot her! Is...is that true?" she demanded.
Xander looked lost and scared as he met Willow's eyes.
"Wills," he began hesitantly.
"Why's my pager still going off?" Oz asked curiously, as he lifted his pager from his hip and glanced at it.
The silence in the room was harsh and bordering on deadly.
"What is it?" Willow choked out glancing at Oz when his face tightened and his breath hitched in.
"Buffy," Oz muttered darkly. "Her....her cell's emitting a code 4."
"Oh," Anya gasped out. "That's not good!"
"What?" Spike demanded hating to be left out. "What about Buffy?!"
Oz ignored him as he whipped out his cell phone.
"What's a code four," Spike growled as he looked at Anya.
Anya shook her head and pressed a hand to her flushed face.
"It means all communication links have uh....gone off line. That only happens if something's wrong," she explained quietly.
Unintentionally Spike's hand went to his chest and he ignored his brain as it screamed for him to leave it alone.
"Well what are we standin' around for then?! Where is she?" he yelled.
"Calm down," Willow advised.
"No," Spike shook his head stubbornly.
"She's...uh hell she went up to Orange County," Oz muttered.
Spike's eyes narrowed to slits.
"Why?" Willow asked.
"She went to see Dru," Spike growled as he headed for the door.
"We're coming with you," Willow announced striding after him.
"Boss...?" One of his men asked carefully as Spike swung open the door.
Spike's mouth dropped open and shock etched its self on his face.
No words came out as he stared at the large black man standing on the stoop.
Not staring at the man but what the man carried in his large arms.
"Buffy," he whispered. Despite himself, he found himself lifting his hand. Wanting to touch her still form.
"Get out of the way," Charles Gunn ordered as he shoved Spike aside and strode into the room.
"Gunn," Willow exclaimed as she rushed to him.
The Scoobies soon surrounded him.
"What happened?" Oz's voice over rode all of the others.
"We can talk about that later," Gunn muttered as he marched up the stairs.
Spike's men looked from the staircase back to him and followed the group that had gone upstairs to stand watch.
Leaving Spike standing alone. In shock, in pain and floating in a sea of sadness and bitter anger towards whoever had done this to Buffy.